Farmers and transport workers demand the reversal of a measure that ended diesel subsidies and doubled fuel costs.
Bolivian agricultural producers and transport workers have announced roadblocks and other pressure measures against the government’s removal of diesel subsidies, demanding that President Rodrigo Paz reverse the measure.
RELATED: Social Protests Persist in Bolivia Amid Diesel Subsidy Removal
Sugar cane and rice producers, residents of the Santa Cruz valleys and transport workers have joined forces to oppose what they call the “dieselazo,” which ended the state subsidy and doubled the price of diesel on the domestic market.
Residents and producers in the Santa Cruz valleys have already launched an indefinite road blockade after issuing a joint statement with the United Transport Bloc. They gave the government an ultimatum to reverse the measure, arguing that fuel shortages and higher prices are putting the regional economy under severe pressure.
EMBAUCADOS: un día antes de doblar el precio del diesel, Pdte. YPFB, prometió a Conf. Choferes que no iba a subir el precio. ¿Cuándo los empresarios piden permiso para aumentar sus tarifas?, reclaman al anunciar reajuste en pasajes: Lucio Gómez, Dirigente Choferes: @teleSURtv pic.twitter.com/Kb3pMAtgVN
— Freddy Morales (@FreddyteleSUR) September 21, 2026
Text Reads: DECEIVED: The day before doubling the price of diesel, the YPFB President promised the Drivers’ Confederation that the price would not go up. “When do business owners ask for permission to raise their rates?” they ask, while announcing a fare adjustment—Lucio Gómez, Drivers’ Union Leader.
“The dieselazo is the burial of all our productive sectors, which is why we have united to defend our livelihoods and our daily work. Today, there is not only a lack of diesel, but we are also being forced to buy it at twice the price,” sector leaders said.
The dispute has also affected public transport. Operators in cities including La Paz and Tarija have withdrawn their vehicles while they determine new fares. Drivers argue that the removal of the subsidy requires passenger fares to double.
Interdepartmental transport operators have already raised fares by between 50% and 100%, depending on the distance traveled.
The Confederation of Bolivian Drivers has called an emergency national assembly for Tuesday in Santa Cruz to determine the sector’s next actions against Supreme Decree 5716.
“We will be at the national assembly tomorrow [Tuesday], and that assembly makes the decisions and they will be carried out,” the confederation’s executive, Lucio Gómez, said, adding that the government measures affect the population.
The drivers also defended their right to protest, citing Article 51 of Bolivia’s Constitution, which recognizes trade unions. They said they would not accept restrictions on that right amid what they described as government attempts to criminalize protests.
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